Track gauge



. 1,611,185 J. G. GUNN TRACK GAUGE I Dec. 21 1926.

Filed April 10 1924 2 Sheet s-Sheet 1 Dec. 21,1926. 1,611,185

J. G. GUNN TRACK GAUGE Filed April 10, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 7 21', 11926." a

o HneLovER Gunner, novnnenoiaem.

y 1 Application filed April 10, 551 1211 no 705.6431

'My, invention relates to improvements in track gauges of the kind which are adapted to run-along-v a railwaytrack and which serve to indicate the" condition of the track as regards the distancebetween the rails.

The object of my invention is tolpr'ovide a device of this kind which is. simple in con struction and eflicient in operation Iand -which will serve to automatically indicate a device associated with the track gauge which is adapted to mark one of the-rails whenever the gauge of the track exceeds or is less 'than a predetermined width; Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specificatio'n taken in" connection with the ac'companying drawings illustrating the same.

' Referring to the drawings v Fig. 1 is a plan view of my ing 'thesame attached to a car, 7 certain parts being brokenfi y;

4 Fig. 2 is aside elevation of the construe-ff 25 tion illustrated in Figure 1;

Fig, 8 is an enlarged horizontalsectional view of one end of the device, this view being taken substantially on the plane of the rod oraxle on which are mounted; V i

Fi dis a sectional view on the line:

of'F gure 3;] H

Fig; 51 is a sectional-view on the line 5 5 of Figure I Fg. 6Iis a rear elevational view showing I particularly the rail markingdevice';

4 Figs? is a diagrammatic view'illu'strat- ,ing certain electrical connectlons for operating a pluralityiof indicating lamps v Referring to the drawings in detail, my

-device comprises-a rod or axle lOr'upon each can device; show the same.

a "Each of the that 11 is mounted a the track when desired and supported free of rod 10 in substantially the same way andthe flanges thereof are forced outwardly against theTrails-12of the track.- Each wheel 11 is rotatably mounted on a sleeve 13 preferably by means of roller bearings L r I ll, these bearings 'being held in @place by any variations, in the-width'of the track, A; further object of the invention is to provide slidab'le;motion longitudinally of this red.

This: limited 1 movement is provided by forming each sleeve :13 with diametrically opposite slots" 16 and apin 17 secured in eachendfoftherod or: axle 1Q engage at its opposite ends in these slotsf It will thus "be seen'that these pin'sprevent rotation of the sleeves 13 but at'the'sametime permit limited niovement of the same'longitudiynally of the rod10 The sleeves-l3-are 'yieldi ngly forcedoutwardly, that is, toward is the ends vof the axle 10 by means ofcoiled springs 18 surroundingthe'rod 10; Each, 7

of tl1es e.; fsprings at its outer endfbears: against one oft'he sleeves 18 and at its inpinned or otherwise secured to therod: 10.- To each'of'the sleeves 13 there is rigidly V ner e1 1di5bears against a stop 19 rigidly V the. wheels of thegauge attached bar or slatQO' and each of these bars"orslats extends from its point of at- I tachmentto the "sleeve 13 parallel with-the fIOiLlO and to a point adjaoent'the sleeve on i'the'opposite end of this rod;- These bars or'jl Isla'ts 20 arepr'eferably securedto the sleeves 13 byj rne an'sof straps 21]ea'ch .of'which ex- 'tends' around a sleeve and is bolted to its respective bar orislat 20. Each of the slats or barsIQOne'ar the pointwh'ere ,it' is; at ,taehed to the'vsleeve is. provided with ajkeepl-r end of which a flanged wheel 11 is -rotatably" a mounted. Therodqor axle 10isfconnected to the car'A by" means vof bars B,"fthese bars;

atlone end beingl.securelyfelampedto the 2 rod lO and at their other ends they are piv-' otally connected to r a projection ,C" on the .Such connectionpermits relative thefree' endof the bar or slat attached'to "yrrom the foregoing it willbeseen that flthe fianges of "the wheels ll will'be pressed against' the. rails 12 by means of the springs c1122 whichis adapted to slidably 'receive I 5' l8. I i-casea portionoftrackis ienccu n-i V I ter ed in s-tili c'liigthe rails are farther apart or] ewee r than WWW *iwi rre are:

tact with any desired one of thecontact elev ments 2'? with the result that when the contact; arm 23 moves into engagement with that the wheels 11 will be causedto move away from or towards each other. will result in relative the bars or slats 20. V a

In order to indicate thisrelative move ment between the bars or slats an indicating arm 23 is pivotally connected in tei One mediate its. ends to one or these bars.

end of this arm; is provided with a slot which engages a pin 24011 the other bar so that relative movement between the loars20v will cause movement. of the member about its pivot. To' indicate this relative.

movement'l provide an indicating scale 25 -seoured toone of the bars 20 ,and overwhich the indicating member 23 is adapted to move. ll his scale may he. graduated in any manner desired. V Y r Preferably the arm 28'1sso formed as to v provide anelectrical contact arm' andthe same is connected toone end of an electric circuit indicated at.26. The indicating scale or plate 25 is -also preferably provided with a plurality of insulated electrical contact points 27 and beneath this scale li provlde a manually operable contact arm 28 which is connected to the other terminal of the. electric circuit 26. It will be understood that the 28 is insulated from the frame and also from arm 23 and maybe placed in con the particular contact27 on which the arm '28 has 9 been placed, the circuit is closed through the electric circuit 26- and by this .means a suitable signal such as a bell 29 -able point may be operated;

mounted on the car A or atany other suit- It may sometimes-be desirable to have severalsignals:arranged to be perated by the movements of the-contact arm 23. Such an arrangement. s shown "particularly in Figure 7 The-plate 25 is provided with a plurality of contacts-25 over which the arm 231's adapted to pass. Eachof these contacts forms aterminal of a separate electric circu1t26 the other-term nal .ofeach of these circu ts being connected to the arm 23.- In

each otthe circuits'26 'there is placed anin-' cheating device preferably-a lamp 2.9, and

these lamps are preferably of different colors. For example, the lamp whlch would be lighted when the arm 23 is in an extreme positioncne Way or the other way be red, the lntermediate ones blue and the central :one white. An arrangement of the kind just described may be conveniently placed on a passenger car in which inspectors are'riding,

and the color of the lights I will show at;

once the condition of the track as to gauge. 7 It is also desirable to have some kind of "mark placed upon one or both ofthe rails ofthe, track at the points wherethe gauge or distance between the rails is not correc t, I

This

movement between iljli l pointer.

have. provided mechanism for doing this.

Such mechanism comprises a leverBO pivotally connected to oneof the bars 20, preferto one of the straps 21, this lever extending rearwardly and downwardly and 7 having two arms 30 and 30 arranged on opposite SlClGS of therail 12 and eachprovided with a marker of any suitable kind,

one or the other of which is moved into contact w-ith'the rail 12 as the lever 30 is moved ahoutits pivot. To eliect such pivotal moven'entioi the lever 3O, I pivotally secure thereto a link 31,.th1s link also being connected to the'oth'er bar 20. It will thus be seen that when relative movement takes place between. the bars 20 such movement will resultincausingone or thefother of the v arms 130 30? to move toward the rail and thus .brmg one of: the marking devices against the rail. Such marks will serve at once to show workmen where the gauge of the track s incorrect. r Hay is claimed as new and desiredl be secured by Letters Patent is 1 Agauge for indicating variations in thus described the invention what 5 the distance between the: rails of a track comprising, in combination, a rod, asleeve' sl-idably and 'non-rotatably' mounted on each endof saiorod, a' flanged wheel rotatably mounted on and movable'with each of said" sieex res yieldable means for forcing said sleeves away from each other" and the flanges of said wheels against the rails of the track, a bar connected 'toeach ofsaid sleeves and movable therewith, and indicating means operable by'the relative inovement'between said bars for indicating variation in the dis tance between said wheels.

2. A gauge for indicating,v ariations'in the distance between the rails of a track comprising, .in'combination, a rod, a sleeve 'slidably and non-rotatab-ly mountedon each endof said rod, a flanged wheel rotatably: mounted on and movable with; each of said sleeves, yieldable means for forcing said sle ve w y f om each eth i nd he-fla g of said" wheel's against'the'rails ofthe track,

ried' and arranged adj' acent the other 'end' of A gauge comprising,

inouiited'on and movable withea'ch of said r eldable .lneans for jorcmg said. sleeves away from each-other on said 'rod sleeves.

for indicating variations. inthe distance between thejr'ails of a"traclr. in combination, a rod, "a sleeve slidafbly and 'non-rotatably mounted on each and the fiangesdof said Wheels against the of said bars, means 0n the0ther bar for enrails, a bar connected at one end to each of gaging one end ofqsaid pointer, whereby said sleeves and n'iovabie therewith; said movement is transmitted to said pointer by v bars being arranged side by side, a keeper the relative movement between said bars.

f secured to the other end ofeach of said bars In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my' and engaging the other bar a pointer pivotsignature.

V ally connected intermediate its ends to one I JOHN YGUNN'." I 

